Today's comment is by Mark Nestmann, our Wealth Preservation & Tax Consultant and President of The Nestmann Group.

Dear A-Letter Reader:

Welcome to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! Or I should say: "¡Bienvenido a Puerto Vallarta!"
 
I arrived here yesterday. Over the next four days, I'll be participating in The Sovereign Society's first-ever "Offshore Advantage Seminar."

This is my first time visiting Puerto Vallarta. And I have to say, if the three mile drive from the airport to the five-star Sheraton Buganvilias hotel is any indication, Puerto Vallarta may just be the paradise everyone told me it was.

This time of year, which is technically known as "autumn" in this corner of the world, the temperature hovers right around 85 degrees during the day. And November just happens to be the start of this region's dry season (which means I didn't need to pack the umbrella that's taking up space in my suitcase).

Yesterday, the weather was perfect. As soon as I stepped out of the airport, the rush of warm air hit me, reminding me I landed in the tropics. In fact, I probably got a slight tan just waiting for the taxi. Trust me: being here makes it easy to forget Thanksgiving is just a couple weeks away.

If you ask me, it's the ideal setting for the first ever Offshore Advantage Seminar.

Your Offshore Questions Answered

We're expecting nearly 300 attendees, many of them new to the offshore world. Indeed, we're billing this event as "A Beginner's Guide to the Offshore World," although it's also suitable for anyone who wants to know more about offshore banking, asset protection, proper tax management, estate planning, and global investment.

Attendees will finally get the answers to their burning offshore questions like...

I'm one of the "professors" who will help answer these questions. And, while I've never been a professor before, I've promised not to be too professorial in my introductions to the three topics I'll be covering: Legal Entities (offshore trusts, family foundations; LLCs and IBCs), Offshore One Stop Solutions (offshore fixed and variable annuities, life insurance and retirement plans); as well as taxes and reporting 

Here's how it works: a "professor"-me, for instance-provides an overview of a particular topic. Then we bring in the "guest lecturers"-people like Council of Experts member, attorney and CPA Michael Chatzky, who knows the U.S. Tax Code like the back of his hand-to flesh out the details and answer questions from the attendees. 

To make sure everyone's paying attention (and not afflicted with the famous "Mexican Malaise" that spending too much time in this beautiful location can lead to), each presentation will be followed by a "Pop Quiz" to insure that the attendees were able to absorb the information conveyed. The intention is not to give anyone a pass or fail grade, but to insure that we as professors did our jobs properly-convey the really important information that attendees need to know, without getting bogged down in too much jargon or legalese.

First Day of Offshore School

Today, our Membership Director David Neman will welcome everyone to the event. Then The Sovereign Society's fearless leader, Erika Nolan will explain how both the professors and other experts will teach this offshore course. Erika, our executive director is also the very first "professor" later this afternoon. She'll  introduce the "course material," and explain how all our offshore novices will depart Mexico as "offshore experts."

And as our attendees transform into offshore know-it-alls, we're also leaving plenty of time for extracurricular activities.

Attendees will be free to meet with the professors-I have nearly a dozen people signed up to speak with me already-and of course to fish, snorkel, sail and enjoy the ambience of this tropical Mexican paradise.

Mile-high Mountains and 40-Miles of Beaches

Just in case you don't know, the city of Puerto Vallarta wraps around a 20 mile wide bay, known as the Banderas Bay (or the "Bay of Flags). That means there over 40 miles of white sandy coastline just waiting to be explored. The hotel rests up against the royal blue Pacific Ocean and one of the many pristine white beaches. I'm personally looking forward enjoying a cocktail out in the sand, beneath one of the many palm trees.

I didn't realize Puerto Vallarta is located between the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Madre. I just found out today that you can hike through the Sierra Madre, or ride through the mountain by horseback and even visit a secret Mexican village hidden in the mountain. I've also heard you can sign up for a "canopy adventure" in the Sierra Mountains. "Canopy adventure" is marketing slang for strapping yourself to cable, and hanging on for dear life as you sail from platform to platform 90 feet off the ground through dense tropical jungle (just like Tarzan).

And for the less adventurous types, downtown Puerto Vallarta is literally just down the street from our hotel. I'm going down there the first chance I get to check out the restaurants, clubs, and shops. I've been told "la fiesta" never stops down there. 

Well, I need to get going. It's almost time for registration, where I'll have my first chance to meet the attendees, many of whom are new to me, but others of which have been my friends for the eight years I've spent with The Sovereign Society.

I hope to meet you here in Puerto Vallarta-but if not, at a future Sovereign Society event.

MARK NESTMANN
From Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
assetpro@nestmann.com
www.nestmann.com

P.S. Can't join us in Puerto Vallarta this year? Not to worry. You can be among the very first to listen in by pre-ordering the seminar audio recordings. Catch all the nuggets of knowledge our "professors" dispense through the week right from the privacy of your own home. To reserve your Offshore Advantage audio recordings, click here.